The present invention relates to an improved embroidered emblem for securement to another article such as a garment or a handkerchief, as well as the method of making such embroidered emblem for securement to such other article.
Embroidered emblems have gained tremendous popularity in recent times, particularly for the purpose of decorating articles of clothing such as shirts, women's negligees and other intimate apparel, etc.
An embroidered design attached to a garment is most attractive when the only visible part thereof is the embroidering thread creating the design, with the garment proper being exposed in the spaces between adjacent portions of the design. Thus, where a design consists of an initial, it is highly desirable to have the letter forming the initial defined by the embroidering thread while the spaces between adjacent thread portions expose the garment proper.
The above desirable effect is conventionally obtained by two possible methods. In accordance with one of these methods, the design is embroidered directly onto the garment. This method, however, is highly cumbersome and expensive as it requires each embroidering operation to be individually performed on the garment, at a specific location, precluding any possibility of mass production at a reasonable cost.
The other conventional method for producing an embroidered design on an article of wearing apparel which has the same highly attractive appearance is to embroider such design on a gauze-like material, which material is thereafter readily dissolvable so as to leave only the embroidering thread which defines the design. Thereafter the embroidered design can be sewed onto the article to which it is intended to be applied. This method is equally cumbersome and expensive and does not lend itself to any kind of mass production.
In view of the high cost of the above methods, it has been the practice to embroider a design directly onto an opaque patch which is laminated to a heat sealable film so that the patch may in turn be secured, by heat sealing, onto the article. While this procedure is far more economical than those described above, the utilization of the opaque patch creates a far inferior aesthetic impression than where the embroidering thread defining the embroidered design is all that is secured to the article. Thus, where a patch is used, the spaces between adjacent portions of the design are opaque and conceal the true characteristics of the underlying garment, detracting significantly from the overall appearance of the article. While this prodedure has found some acceptance where designs have been embroidered on denim patches for subsequent securement to blue jeans, it has not found any acceptance with more refined type of embroidered designs such as initials or other delicate ornamentation (flowers, butterflies, etc.), for securement to more intimate articles such as negligees, blouses, handkerchiefs, made of delicate materials such as sheer nylon and similar fabrics.
An example of the prior art which attempts to solve the problem of mass producing embroidered emblems for securement to other articles is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,060 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,211. In accordance with these patents, the design is embroidered onto a woven fabric backing material to which there is laminated a thermoplastic film which fuses with the backing material and which also is fusable, upon application of heat and pressure, onto the article of wearing apparel. The thermoplastic film is of such nature as to require the application of high temperatures in the range of 300.degree. to 375.degree., both for bonding the thermoplastic film to the backing material and for bonding the resulting laminate to the article. Such temperature ranges, if applied to sheer fabrics of the type discussed above, would cause the latter to be damaged and lose its normal characteristics.
It follows, therefore, that, when intended to be applied to sheer fabrics, the woven fabric must be opaque to conceal the underlying garment portions whose normal appearance has been marred by the high temperature. It also is evident that there is no longer the appearance of the design having been embroidered directly onto the base fabric on the underlying garment.
Attempts have been made to overcome the disadvantages which exist in the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,211. More specifically, my prior application Ser. No. 632,868 filed November 17, 1975, now abandoned, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,563 disclose a method wherein the design is embroidered directly on a substrate made of a sheer transparent woven material, the underside of which is laminated to a layer or film of adhesive having a melting point which is lower than that of delicate fabrics. The lamination is thereafter die cut along a contour which contains therewithin the embroidered design as a whole without regard to the specific outline of the design, whereby the transparent layer formed by the bonding of the substrate and adhesive film extends between spaced portions of embroidery thread forming the design.
The die cut lamination, which defines the embroidered emblem is now secured to the base fabric (underlying garment) by the application of heat and pressure. Since the adhesive film melting point is lower than that of the base fabric, even where it is a delicate sheer fabric, no damage is done thereto. Further, since the lamination is transparent, the characteristics of the underlying base fabric are visible through the lamination to give the appearance of an embroidered design directly sewn or embroidered thereon.
While this method constitutes a vast improvement it still leaves something to be desired insofar as successfully simulating a design embroidered or sewn directly onto the base material. More specifically, the substrate and film lamination which overlies the base fabric between adjacent portions of embroidery thread, does alter the true appearance of the base fabric, particularly where such base fabric is other than white. The net result is that there is no effective simulation of directly embroidered designs where these are bonded to underlying garments which are not white.